This invention relates to serial printers and, more particularly, to control apparatus for serial printers.
Serial printers have taken many forms over the decades with the most common and widespread one being the typewriter. In recent years, the seemingly exponentially increasing use of computer-based high speed information processing systems has placed a strong demand on serial printers in terms of speed, performance and reliability. Prior art serial printers especially adapted to print computer-based output data have, in the past, relied upon hard-wired control logic to implement the many control functions and operations required. An example of a typical prior art serial printer for printing computer-based output data is disclosed in U.S. Application Ser. No. 505,105 filed in the name of Andrew Gabor on Sept. 11, 1974 for HIGH SPEED PRINTER WITH INTERMITTENT PRINT WHEEL AND CARRIAGE MOVEMENT and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Although such hard-wired serial printers have worked well in the past, it would be desirable to provide a serial printer with a control apparatus that is capable of meeting the ever more exacting contemporary requirements of speed, performance and reliability.